


Life, When You Least Expect It

by daviderl



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-12
Updated: 2013-05-12
Packaged: 2017-12-11 15:41:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/800371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daviderl/pseuds/daviderl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lorelai has worked at the Independence Inn for ten years, working herself up to the position of Head Maid. But Mia has plans for the inn, and for Lorelai.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rumors and Idle Speculation

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written as three separate short stories, but since they are all connected, I decided to make them one long story.

**Life, When You Least Expect It**

  
**Chapter One**   
**Rumor and Idle Speculation**   


 

Lorelai heard the alarm clock click just before it went off, and her hand was there to turn it off a half second after it started ringing. She looked over at Rory next to her in their double bed. She was still sleeping. Lorelai quickly got out of bed, threw on a heavy terrycloth robe, and turned on the small electric heater they used to heat the potting shed they called home. She tried being quiet as she gathered up her maid's uniform and shoes, but she stumbled against a chair that scraped loudly on the floor.

"Is it time to get up?" Rory asked, still mostly asleep.

"Shhh," Lorelai whispered, "go back to sleep. It's still too early."

Rory moved to the warm spot where Lorelai had been and fell back asleep. Lorelai finished getting her things together. She was going to change into her uniform in the kitchen of the Independence Inn, where it was so much warmer. As she passed by the bed, she leaned down and kissed Rory on the top of her head as she always did. And for the thousandth time she said quietly, "One day we'll have a real house, and you'll have your own room."

Lorelai hurriedly made her way to the back door of the kitchen. Before she got dressed, she started a pot of coffee. Sookie would be in by six thirty, and at seven Lorelai would go back to the potting shed to get Rory up for school, and to take her two muffins and a cup of coffee for breakfast. By then the shed would be warm enough for Rory to get dressed and they could have their morning together before Rory had to leave for school and Lorelai had to begin _her_ day. After the coffee was started and Lorelai had changed, she went to the front desk.

"Morning, Tobin."

"Good morning, Lorelai. Did you sleep well?"

"Not bad. How was the night? Any new guests?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. A couple from Rhode Island, the Murrays, checked in a little after eleven. They left a wake-up call for seven thirty. They said they want to go antiquing right after breakfast. I told them it wouldn't be a problem."

"Well, Michel should be in around eight, so that should time it just right."

"Lorelai, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure. Let me grab a cup of coffee and I'll be right back."

Lorelai went back into the kitchen for the coffee, shaking her head. She had a feeling she knew what was coming.

"Okay. What's up?"

"It's about Michel."

"Again? What's he done this time?"

"I don't think he likes me."

"I don't think Michel likes anyone, Tobin."

"He likes Mia."

"Well, sure he does. She brought him here and gave him his job. And I’m quite sure she's paying him very well. So, is that it?"

"No, there's something else. And I'm sure you know more about this than I do."

Lorelai waited for Tobin to come to the point.

"You know that Mia's been talking about making some changes."

"That's the rumor, but I haven't heard anything concrete."

"Well, Michel seems to think she is thinking about retiring and that she is going to make him the day manager."

"I haven't heard anything like that. I do know she wants to slow down, and maybe she does want to retire. But I really doubt that she'll make Michel the new manager. She hired him as a concierge and as far as I know, that's it. That's his job."

"If he becomes the new manager, I'll have to quit. There is no way I could work for Michel."

"But, Tobin you're the night manager. You wouldn't be working for Michel."

"But he'll be the day manager. And everyone knows the day manager. . . ."

"Look, I think you're worrying about nothing. If, and until, Mia decides to retire and bring in a new manager, everything is just rumor and idle speculation."

Lorelai patted Tobin on the shoulder and started to go back into the kitchen.

"I'd work for you!" he suddenly exclaimed, taking Lorelai by surprise.

"Me? Yeah, like Mia would really make one of her maids the manager."

Lorelai went back into the kitchen, dismissing such a ridiculous thought.

After Lorelai saw Rory off to school, she went back to the inn to begin her day. She made sure the Murrays were up at seven thirty, and eased the transition between Tobin leaving at eight and Michel's arrival at eight fifteen. She checked out several guests as Michel ate his egg white omelet for breakfast. She made sure the other maids knew which rooms were now unoccupied and needed to be cleaned. And she went over the guest register, just so there would be no surprises.

After a quick walk-though of the dining room, she was satisfied with everything there. Even though she knew Tobin was reliable, she still made sure the front porch and steps had been swept off, and the night cleaning crew had finished everything on the list she had left for them. Mia would be in around nine and Lorelai wanted everything to be as perfect as it could be. She owed Mia so much, for so many years, that anything she could do to make her job any easier, she gladly did.

 


	2. Looking at Houses

  
**Chapter Two**   
**Looking at Houses**   


The morning passed quickly. The brisk autumn weather seemed to energize everyone, especially the guests. They came for the fall foliage and to take in the small-town charm of Stars Hollow.

Lorelai always swore that one day she would do the tourist thing – walk through the town, visit every shop, and eat in every café and restaurant. She might even, one day, eat lunch sitting in the gazebo in the center of town. But it seemed like there was always just so much to do at the inn. And at the end of the day she was too tired to do anything but spend the evening hours with Rory doing her homework as they listened to the radio. And after Mia gave Rory a CD player for her birthday, they listened to their growing inventory of CDs.

Lunch was finishing up and Lorelai was in the kitchen with a plate of Sookie's pot roast, potatoes and carrots when Mia found her. "Lorelai, I have a few errands to run, and after you've finished eating, would you mind changing clothes and coming with me?"

"Of course. I can finish this later."

"Oh, no. You finish eating first. We'll be doing a lot of walking and you'll need your strength to keep up."

Mia patted Lorelai on the hand holding the fork then said as she turned to leave, "About thirty minutes."

"I wonder what that's all about." Sookie commented.

"She's probably going shopping and needs me to carry all the bags for her."

"Maybe. Maybe not."

Lorelai finished the pot roast and poured herself a cup of coffee before she walked down to the potting shed to change clothes. Twenty five minutes later Mia and Lorelai were leaving the inn. Mia insisted they walk since it was a such a nice day.

"So, you said you had some errands," Lorelai said. "What's our first stop?"

"It's not very far away," Mia answered.

"Okay," Lorelai replied, somewhat mystified. "You can't tell me where we're going because. . . . "

Mia smiled at Lorelai warmly, and only said, "You'll see."

They walked for almost fifteen minutes when Lorelai realized they were in a part of the town she had never been. It was a rather nice neighborhood with well-kept houses, some that were close to a hundred years old. They stopped in front of a two story house with a porch that seemed to run around the entire house.

"What do you think of this house?" Mia asked her.

"It's nice. It's big. But it's nice. It looks expensive."

"You think so? I think it might be quite affordable."

"Mia, are you house hunting? You have a house, and it's a great house. Why are you looking at houses?"

"I don't know. I just felt like looking at houses."

"Are you thinking about buying rental property?"

"Let's go inside."

The front door was unlocked and they went inside. Lorelai followed Mia as she walked through the downstairs, commenting on every room and its possibilities, and asking Lorelai her opinion. They next walked up the stairs to give the second floor the same analysis.

Going back downstairs they went back into the kitchen, then out of the back door to look at the yard. They walked around to the front and Mia sat down on the front porch steps and Lorelai sat next to her. Lorelai could sense there was something on Mia's mind other than rental property and old houses, but she waited patiently until Mia was ready.

Finally, staring out at the front yard, Mia said, "Lorelai, I’m sure you've heard the rumors about me wanting to slow down, and maybe retiring."

"I have, but I haven't paid much attention to them. People like to talk, and they really like to talk about the boss!"

"Well, I want you to be the first to know. The rumors ARE true. I'm getting tired of running the inn, and I am thinking about making some changes."

"You're not selling it are you?" Lorelai was horrified at the thought.

"Oh no. The Independence means too much to me to sell it. But I do want to not have to come in everyday. That part of it I'm getting tired of. So I've decided to look for a manager. I want someone to run things for me. Someone I know I can trust -- not only to do things the way I know they should be done, but someone I know who loves the Independence as much as I do and wants its reputation as a top quality inn to continue."

Mia looked at Lorelai. "Do you have any suggestions? Anyone you think could think of who might fill the bill?"

"Well, Tobin's been with us for quite a while. And he's the best night manager we've ever had."

"What about Michel?"

Lorelai hesitated, not wanting to bad mouth anyone, not even Michel.

"I honestly have to say that I think Michel would be a bad choice. I don't think Tobin would stay on if Michel was the manager. Sookie, maybe. I can't say about the staff, but I’m sure some of them would leave, the day staff anyway."

"What about you?"

"Oh god no! Mia, I would never leave! The Independence is my home, mine and Rory's. Believe me, there is no way Michel could ever make us go!"

 


	3. My Town, Your Town

 

  
**Chapter Three**   
**My Town, Your Town**

"No. I mean what about you as the new manager?"

"What?"

Lorelai was stunned. She wasn't sure if she'd heard right.

"You heard me. What about you taking over for me as the manager – the general manager?"

Lorelai was finding it hard to find the words. Mia chuckled then got up and walked back into the house. Lorelai followed her, still dumbfounded at Mia's suggestion.

"You've got to be kidding," was Lorelai's eventual reply.

"No, I'm not. Why would I kid about something like that?"

"But – I can't be a manager. I don't know anything about running an inn. I've never been to college. I never even graduated from high school!"

"You know more than you think you do."

"But, I'm just a maid. Sure, the Head Maid, but . . . ."

"Lorelai, when was the last time you changed a bed? Or did turn-down service? How many times have you checked guests in and out? Who orders the supplies, and sweet talks the vendors into getting us the things we need when no one else gets them? How many times have you worked a ten-hour shift and then filled in for those irresponsible night managers we had to put up with until YOU suggested I hire Tobin?"

Lorelai never had a chance to answer her.

"Lorelai, honey, you may still wear the uniform, but you haven't been a maid for almost two years. You have filled so many shoes, worn so many hats, I'm surprised you haven't demanded to be made at least assistant manager."

"But only because you showed me . . . ."

"Exactly! I trained you. And I pushed you. And I made sure you knew everything I did about running an inn. And if there is anyone who loves the Independence as much as I do, I know it's you."

"Mia . . . ." Lorelai was on the verge of tears.

"Lorelai, if you don't take this position, I'll have no alternative but to make Michel the manager. And please, PLEASE don't make me do that! I can barely understand what he says. Who knows WHAT he would do to my poor inn."

Lorelai put her arms around Mia, not able to stop the tears of joy as she agreed to become the Independence Inn's new General Manager.

After Lorelai had composed herself and blew her nose, Mia dropped another bombshell. "Of course you realize you and Rory will have to move out of the potting shed."

"What? But why? It's our home. We've lived there for ten years."

"Really, Lorelai, do you actually think the potting shed is a fit home for the manager of an inn?"

"But where will we live?"

"Obviously, you'll have to move into a house somewhere."

"I suppose I could find one, somewhere. I always told Rory that one day we'd have a real house . . . ."

"And she'd have her own room," Mia finished for her. "And you'd want your own room as well."

"Well, sure."

"So what about this house? You could have the entire upstairs for your room. And Rory's will be right next to the kitchen. You know she'd just love being able to grab a snack anything she wanted."

"Oh, Mia! Yes, I'd love it! But I can't afford a house like this. I can't even afford to buy a car."

Mia laughed, she couldn’t help it. "Honey, didn't it ever occur to you that the general manager of an inn makes at least four times what a maid makes? Even the Head Maid?"

Again, Lorelai was speechless. Then the possibilities began to come to her. "I **could** buy this house! And a car! And I'd need new clothes if I'm going to be the face of the Independence; and shoes! And I could buy Rory new clothes. No more hand-me-downs."

But then she had another thought, one not so pleasant. "But what about Michel? This means I'll be his boss! What if he won't work for me? What if none of them will?"

"I don't think you have to worry about that. Everyone loves you. You know that."

"But what if I'm a bad boss? What if the staff won't do what I say?"

"Lorelai, you've been bossing the staff around for two years, and longer. Now it'll just be official."

"But Michel –"

"You don't worry about Michel. If he values his job – well, I'll talk to him."

"Now," Mia continued. "We have two more stops to make."

"Where now?"

"First to the Stars Hollow bank to open you a checking and a savings account, and then to arrange a mortgage loan for you. And then to the real estate office to start the paperwork on your new home."

A light went off in Lorelai's head. "You did all this, for me. You knew I'd take the job and you arranged everything -- the house, the bank. But … no one knows me. I've got no credit cards, no financial history. So -- how?"

Mia patted Lorelai's cheek then said, "You seem to forget that Stars Hollow is MY town. And some day, sooner than you think, this will be YOUR town, yours and Rory's."

 


	4. Yours and Mine

  
**Chapter Four**   
**Yours and Mine**   


Lorelai stood impatiently outside of Stars Hollow Elementary School,  to-go cups of coffee from Weston's Bakery in each hand. She tried looking at her watch, but it was almost impossible to do without pouring out Rory's coffee. And try as she wanted to wait until Rory came out to share the coffee, Lorelai kept sipping on hers. Finally the bell rang. And again she waited, and waited.

"Come on, Rory," Lorelai said out loud, her impatience growing with each second that passed.

At last she saw Rory coming out of the door, and Lane was with her. They stopped to talk, then they laughed together. Lorelai's impatience diminished just a bit. She was so glad Rory had such a good friend as Lane. Her news could wait a little longer. The two girls started walking again and then Rory spied Lorelai.

"Mom!" she yelled out, a slightly worried tone in her voice.

Lorelai walked to meet them. "Hey, Babe. Hey, Lane."

"What are you doing here? Is everything all right?"

"Sure. Why wouldn't it be?" Lorelai asked as she handed the cup to Rory.

"Because you've never met me here after school. Why aren't you at work?"

"I have something to show you."

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you. You have to see this for yourself."

"See what?"

"You'll see," Lorelai replied with a mysterious smile on her face.

"I better get home," Lane said. "I know Mrs. Kim is staring at her stop watch."

"You're kidding, of course," Lorelai said to her.

"She really isn't," Rory answered. "She's got fifteen minutes to get home."

"That gives me a five-minute grace period," Lane explained. "So I can make sure I get all my homework assignments."

"Well, then we won't hold you up."

" 'Bye," Rory said to the departing Lane. "See you tomorrow."

" 'Bye, Rory." Lane said over her shoulder. " 'Bye, Lorelai."

"Okay," Rory said, turning to Lorelai. "What is it you want to show me?"

"Follow me," was all Lorelai said.

After a fifteen minute walk, they ended up in front of a large two story house with a porch that seemed to run around the entire house.

"Who lives here?" Rory asked, but Lorelai ignored her.

To keep the mystery going a bit longer, Lorelai led Rory around to the back yard and up the stairs to the back door. Lorelai opened it slowly, and peeked in as if to see if anyone was home.

"Mom!" Rory whispered, "What are you doing?"

Lorelai walked into the kitchen with Rory nervously following. The room was empty except for the stove and refrigerator. Their voices echoed throughout the house.

"You want to show me an empty house?"

"In here," Lorelai said as she walked into the room just off the kitchen.

They walked to the center of the room, and Lorelai said, "Look around."

Rory made a circle then looked back at her mom. "What am I looking at?"

"Your new bedroom."

"My what?"

"Your new bedroom, unless you'd rather sleep on the back porch."

"Mom, what are you taking about?"

Lorelai could no longer hold it in.

"This is our new house!" she all but shouted out. "I bought it today! Mia and I went down to the bank and took out a home loan. And then we went to the real estate office and I signed all the papers. This is OUR house, Babe! Yours and mine!"

Rory was speechless.

"Well, say something. Don't you like it?"

Rory looked around one more time. "Mom, we can't afford this house! We don't even own a car!"

"Well, there's more to the story."

 


	5. New Neighbors

  
**Chapter Five**   
**New Neighbors**   


Lorelai took a deep breath. "You are now looking at the brand spanking new General Manager of the Independence Inn of Stars Hollow, Connecticut!"

"What? General Manager? But how? When?"

"Today! Mia brought me over here, to this very house. Told me – well asked me, if I'd run the inn for her so she could retire. We have money now, Rory! Mia said I'd be making about four times what I was making as a maid. We can get a car, and we can buy clothes and shoes and . . . . "

"And furniture! We'll need furniture! And a new TV! And books. Oh my god, I'll need a bookshelf, maybe two of them! And a bed."

As it began to sink in, Rory was becoming just as excited as Lorelai. They looked at each other for a second then both squealed and hugged each other, dancing around in circles and laughing.

"I can't believe it!" Rory said as they calmed down. "We always dreamed this day would come. I just never expected it to happen so soon!"

"Do you like the house?"

"Are you kidding? I love it! I want to see all of it!"

"No Pro-Con list?"

"Heck no! What would be the point? There would be nothing on the Con side of the page!"

For the next thirty minutes they explored every room, discussing what kind of furniture and wall decorations each would get, and how everything would be arranged. They climbed up and down the stairs a half dozen times. After they were satisfied with the inside, they walked out to the front porch to explore the yard.

"Hey!" someone yelled at them from the house next door. "Hey!"

"Hey!" Lorelai yelled back.

"Are ya' lookin' at the house?"

"We just bought it, today. We'll be moving in this weekend."

"Oh, that's so great. You'll just love here. It's a great house!"

"We know!" Lorelai yelled back.

"I'm Babette Dell! And Morey's inside!"

"I'm Lorelai Gilmore, and this is Rory!"

Then Babette yelled over her shoulder, "MOREY! We got new neighbors! Lorelai and Rory! They're movin' in!"

Morey stuck his head out of the front door. "Welcome," he said as he waved, then went back inside.

"Morey's watchin' Cinnamon. She's our cat. She got hair balls. We gave her medicine and we don't want her throwin' up all over the house, so we gotta watch her."

"Well, you go keep an eye on Cinnamon and we'll see you later. It was nice to meet you."

"Okay. It's gonna be so great with you two livin' here!"

After Babette went back inside, Lorelai and Rory headed back to the inn.

"Look, hon, as far as I know, no one knows about this promotion. Mia's going to have a staff meeting at five. So, just don't say anything right now, okay?"

"Sookie doesn't know? You didn't even tell her?"

"I haven't been back to the inn. Right after everything was dotted and signed I went to Weston's and then I met you."

"This is big, isn't it?"

"The biggest. I just hope everyone's okay with it."

"I'm sure they will be. Everybody likes you. Why wouldn't they be okay with it?"

"Well, I know Sookie will be happy for me. And Tobin. And most of the staff, I guess, but I’m not so sure about Michel."

"Well, who cares about ol' Michel, anyway?"

"Now, Rory, we all need to get along. If there are problems between Michel and me, it could affect everyone."

"Then it will be his problem. Mia gave you the job so she knows what she's doing."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough."

 


	6. Staff Meeting

  
**Chapter Six**   
**Staff Meeting**   


When they got back to the inn, they went right to the potting shed. On the door was an envelope from Mia. Inside was a note asking Lorelai to stay out of sight until the meeting. And then to not let herself be seen until the announcement. For the next hour and a half Lorelai and Rory stayed in the shed. It gave Rory a chance to do some of her homework between her and Lorelai making plans for the big move on Saturday.

"Mia said we could use the inn's van to move our stuff, and until I can get us a car. She has a bed for you that we can have. The power and the water are both on, and both the hot water heater and the refrigerator work so we don't have to worry about that."

"What about the stove?"

"What about it?"

"Does it work?"

"Do we care? It’s not like we actually cook."

"Well, we might, now that the inn's kitchen will be more than a thirty-second walk away."

"I’m sure it does."

At five o'clock Lorelai and Rory left to go to the staff meeting. Inside everyone was gathered in the dining room waiting for Mia.

"Has anyone seen Lorelai?" Sookie asked no one in particular.

"Not since she and Mia left this afternoon," Donna answered. "You don't think Mia fired her, do you?"

"No! Why would she do that? Lorelai's been here too long and Mia likes her too much. I just wonder where she is? I wonder if she's in the shed, asleep. Maybe I should go look."

Before Sookie could leave to check on her, Mia walked in. All the whispering and rustling stopped.

"Hi, everyone. I know some of you should be going home now, and some of you night people are in early, and I appreciate you all staying late and coming in. What I have to say won't take long, but I think it's important that you hear it together."

Mia looked around and saw Lorelai and Rory waiting out of sight from the others.

"I'm well aware of the rumors going around that I may be thinking about retiring, and I have to say the rumors are true. I've come to the point in my life that I would like to slow down. There are places I want to visit, and things I'd like to see before I'm too old to enjoy them. So, Monday morning I will be coming in for the last time. And no, I'm not selling the inn."

Mia gave them a smile. "This place makes me too much money, which I'll need to do all the traveling I'm planning on. But it does mean there will be someone else running things around here."

Mia waited a half a minute to let the news sink in, and for the whispers to die down.

"I'm sure you're all wondering who the new day manger will be. Well, it won't be some outsider. I firmly believe in promoting from within the family, and I have made my choice. But this person will be more than just the day manager. I've decided to make him, or her, the General Manager. Which means he, or she, will be responsible for both the day shift and the night shift."

Mia quickly cut her eyes to Lorelai to see how she was holding up. Lorelai gave her a weak, insecure smile.

"This is a tremendous responsibility. And it's not a job to be taken lightly. But I have every confidence in the person I have chosen. And I expect every one of you to give her all the respect and all the support you have given me all these years."

At the word "her" the whispers started up again. Everyone was trying to guess who it was. Everyone but Michel, who had a decidedly unhappy look on his face. Mia gave a little cough and everyone quieted down.

"So, without further ado, I give you the Independence's new General Manager – Lorelai Gilmore."

Lorelai hesitated a fraction of a second, and was given a little shove by Rory. Lorelai walked to Mia's side.

"Hi, everyone," she said nervously.

But before she could say anything more, Sookie and Tobin were on their feet, clapping loudly. Almost immediately the rest of the staff was standing and applauding, everyone except a very unhappy Michel.

Mia squeezed Lorelai's hand, and whispered loud enough for Lorelai to hear over the din, "See? And you were worried."

Fighting back the tears, Lorelai looked over to Rory and signaled for her to join them. Rory rushed out to stand beside them. She could not have been any prouder of her mother at this moment.

As the applause began to die down, Mia said in Lorelai's ear, "You say a few words. I need to talk to Michel."

Lorelai nodded, then took a deep breath as everyone sat back down. Mia walked past Michel, said something to him that no one could hear, and he got up to follow her. Rory started to take his seat, but Lorelai grabbed her hand to keep her next to her, for support.

"I really don't know what to say, except thank you, thank all of you for that," Lorelai began. "It does makes it easier to know that you seem to think that Mia made the right decision. I just wish I had as much confidence in myself as you seem to."

"You'll do just fine," Tobin said. "And we're all here for you."

"Thanks. That means a lot. I just want all of you to know things won't be so different. We all have our duties, and we all know how to do them, so as long as you all keep doing the wonderful jobs you have been doing, then there shouldn't be any problems."

"Unless your name is Michel!" someone yelled out. Everyone laughed.

"Now, none of that. We have to be sensitive to each other's feelings. There IS going to be a transitional period, and we all will have to do our parts not to step on anyone's toes."

"Unless your name is Michel!" someone else yelled out. They all laughed again.


	7. Four Last Times

 

  
**Chapter Seven**   
**Four Last Times**

While Lorelai was giving her thank you/orientation speech, Mia led Michel into her office and shut the door.

"It isn't fair!" Michel exclaimed. "It should be MY job! Now Lorelai will fire me and I will have to stand in the unemployment line like the common riff-raff."

"No one is firing anyone. Lorelai and I already talked about this. She knows how important your job is."

"But I should be manager. I have the experience, and the education."

"I don't dispute your qualifications. That's why I hired you in the first place. But I hired you to be our concierge. Running an inn takes more than just education or on the job training. And let's face it, Michel, sometimes you can be – what's the word I'm looking for? – brusque. Or maybe discourteous would be a better word. Your people skills are often lacking. You don't act like you particularly like people."

"Yes, I very much dislike the ignorant and stupid people that often come here. But can I help that?"

"But don't you see, even though sometimes our guests are just that, you have to know when to bite your tongue. Lorelai knows how to talk to them, and she doesn't let herself get upset at their stupidity."

"She will find an excuse to let me go. I just know it."

"No, she won't. Not unless you say or do something to make her have to. If you and I can work together, then there's no reason why you and Lorelai can't."

Mia got up from her chair and opened the door, signaling to Michel their meeting was over. At the same time everyone was filing out of the dining room.

"How did it go?" Mia asked Lorelai.

"Good. I think it went very good. No one seemed upset or resentful. Well, almost no one."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about Michel. Just give him a little space the next couple of weeks. I think he'll come around."

"I hope so. It's going to be tough enough without you here to keep things on an even keel."

"I think you're worrying too much. Just keep on doing just like you have been and things will be fine."

Then Mia turned to Rory. "And what about you, Rory? What do you think about all of this?"

"I can't hardly believe it. It’s just so amazing – Mom's new job and the new house. But I’m going to miss living here, I know. And I'm going to miss you so much! I can't imagine you not being around."

"I'll still be here for a while, until I finalize any travel plans. But for right now, would you girls like to join me for supper? I'm pretty sure Sookie has made more than enough clam chowder."

"Oh, I'm sure she has," Lorelai agreed. "If there's one thing Sookie believes in making plenty of when it's cold, it's clam chowder."

After supper, Lorelai and Rory went back to their small home. Rory had homework to finish and Lorelai wanted to start packing up some of their non-essentials.

"Mia told me I could take tomorrow off, so I should have everything packed up by the time you get home from school. We'll load up the van before it gets dark, and the first thing Saturday morning we can drive over to the house and unload it. Two trips ought to do it."

 

Lorelai heard the alarm clock click just before it went off, and her hand was there to turn it off a half second after it started ringing. She looked over at Rory next to her in their double bed. She was still sleeping.

It was Saturday morning and Lorelai had reset the alarm for seven. They stayed up past midnight and she was still a bit sleepy. But she wanted to see the sun rise one _last time_ from this small, one room shed that had been their home for so long. For the moment, her excitement of the new house was overshadowed by the sadness of leaving.

Lorelai threw on her terrycloth robe, then she turned on the small electric heater to warm up the place while she went after coffee and muffins. As she did, she realized it would be for the _last time_. Their new house had a furnace with central heating. And if they wanted it, air conditioning could be added later on.

As Lorelai poured the two cups of coffee, she realized that it would also be the _last time_ she would do this. Mia had given Lorelai the coffee maker she kept in her office to take with them to the new house. She always thought Sookie's coffee was too weak. Back in the potting shed Lorelai smiled down at the still-sleeping Rory.

And for the _last time_ in the small, but cozy shed they both loved so much, Lorelai woke her up. 

"Hey, Sleepyhead, time to get up. It's moving day."


	8. Fancy Shmancy Title

  
**Chapter Eight**   
**Fancy-Shmancy Title**   


Lorelai drove up to her new house. It was almost seven, Tuesday night. She knew Rory was there because she had called Lorelai just as soon as she had gotten home from school. The phone had been installed the day before.

Since taking over as the Independence Inn manager the day before, she discovered her days now were going to be longer than they had been when she was just the Head Maid. She used to leave at five, but now there were so many small details that needed taking care of that took time. Before she realized it, the day staff had gone home and Tobin and the night staff were there. But in a way, she didn't mind so much. She loved the inn. She loved the people working there. And she loved making sure the guests were happy and taken care of.

Lorelai knew it would get easier as she got more comfortable in her new job. But for now she wanted to make sure everything was done just as Mia expected it to be. She wanted to show her she made the right choice when she asked Lorelai to take over managing the inn for her.

For a few seconds Lorelai just sat in the inn's van she was using, looking at the house. She still found it hard to believe it was theirs -- hers and Rory's. It was only their fourth day living there, and it still brought a lump to her throat -- not only for the joy of the two of them finally having their own house, but with a bit of sadness for leaving that small, cramped, but so-loved potting shed they had called home for a decade.

Lorelai got out of the van with a bag of leftovers Sookie had packed up for her and Rory. She checked the mailbox, then walked to the front steps, climbed them, crossed the porch to the front door.  "Knock, knock! Mommy's home!" she called out as she went inside.

"Kitchen!" Rory yelled back to her.

"Mmmm, I smell coffee," Lorelai said as she went into the kitchen. "I brought supper."

Rory had her books scattered over the small kitchen table they had used while living behind the inn, and had brought with them. She piled some of them on top of others to make room for the bag.

"So, Miss General Manager, how was your very first, and very long, day with Mia no longer looking over your shoulder?" Rory asked as she peeked into the bag while Lorelai poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Funny you should ask. Mia came by the inn for lunch."

Lorelai sat down at the table in the other chair. They'd only had room for two chairs in the shed; they vowed to get two more later.

"Is this chicken fried or baked?" Rory asked.

"Umm, baked, I think. Unless it's broiled. Like I said, Mia came by today."

"Oh! Sookie mixed the gravy with the mashed potatoes. I love it like that. It saves so much time!"

"Rory!"

"What?" Rory's eyes looked like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"I'm trying to tell you something here."

"Yeah, I know. Mia ate lunch at the inn. And she sent apple cobbler!"

Lorelai's hand smashed down on the top of the bag, trapping Rory's hand inside.

"I think you'll want to hear this." Lorelai's voice had a serious tone to it.

Rory suddenly got worried. "What is it?"

"Well, as I said, Mia came by and we had lunch together, then we went into her – my, office. And she told me I was no longer the inn's General Manager."

"What? No!"

"Yes."

"But why? Don't tell me she changed her mind and made Michel the manager. Does that mean we have to move back to the potting shed? But I love this house! We just got here and I was going to ask Mrs. Kim if Lane could come over tomorrow to see it."

"No, we don't have to move. And Michel isn't the General Manager."

"Then who is?"

"No one is."

Lorelai put her hand up to stop Rory from saying anything. "Mia told me that I was no longer the General Manager because that title sounded too plain and pedestrian to her."

Rory got a puzzled look on her face.

"So she decided that instead of the General Manager, I am now the EXECUTIVE Manager!"

Lorelai finished her pronouncement with a flourish of her hand and a smirk on her face. For a moment Rory didn't know what to say. Then her brow furrowed comically.

"You scared me! I thought you got fired! That's so mean! That job has gone to your head already. Maybe you do need to get fired. I'm going to talk to Mia tomorrow and tell her to make Michel the manager. Then you'll see!"

"Sorry, Charlie, Mia's gone and I'm the Executive Monarch, I mean Manager."

"Did you get another raise?"

"No, just the fancy-shmancy title."

" 'Executive Manager.' It does have a nicer ring to it, doesn't it?"

"Yes it does. Now, if you'll put up this homework for a while, we can eat this delicious supper Sookie fixed for us."

"I'm surprised there was only one bag."

"Oh, there were two of them, but somehow I completely forgot to bring the one with the Brussels sprouts and the steamed carrots."


	9. "Did You See That?"

  
**Chapter Nine**   
**"Did You See That?"**   


Rory woke up slowly, not wanting to. But eventually she gave up trying to go back to sleep, there was too much light seeping past the curtains covering her windows. She looked over at her alarm clock; it was 8:15, and it was Saturday. She rolled over onto her back and looked around. The room was still very sparse. They moved in last weekend and the room still only had her bed and a small night stand next to it. Her books were piled on the floor, waiting for a bookcase.

As she lay there, she could smell the delicious aroma of coffee in the air. She would have thought that Lorelai would be sleeping in since this was her first Saturday off in two years, or longer. When she was named Head Maid, she took it upon herself to work at least a half day on Saturdays. Reluctantly, Rory rolled out of bed and went into the kitchen. She found her mother sitting at the kitchen table, her head down on her arms, fast asleep, a cup half full of luke-warm coffee in front of her. Rory smiled at the sight, and after she poured herself a cup, she sat down at the table and gently shook Lorelai's arm.

"Mom. Wake up. It's time to go to work."

Lorelai mumbled something, then turned her head away from that annoying sound. Rory shook her harder.

"Mom!" she said louder. "Mia called. There's an emergency at the inn. You have to go. Now!"

Lorelai's head jerked up. "What! No! I just got to sleep!"

She looked around, confused. Then she saw Rory grinning at her and realized where she was.

"Why are you so mean to mama? What did I ever do to you?"

"Why are you sleeping on the kitchen table?"

"Because I had to get up at four o'clock to go ALL the way to the inn, and then take two of the guests who were checking out early ALL the way to the Hartford-Brainard Airport so they could catch a flight to Boston, and I didn't get back here until seven. THAT's why!"

"Oh. So, why didn't you have one of the night staff drive them?"

"What would have been the use? I was already awake, we were booked up, and there was no place for me to sleep."

"What about the empty room?"

"Uh, excuse me! Dirty linen, dirty room, strange smells – you get my drift?"

"I get it."

"And I've come to the conclusion that using the inn's minivan isn't going to work. So today we -- you and I, are going car shopping!"

"Can we get a Rolls?"

"Sure we can, just as soon as you get a job that pays a couple thousand dollars a week."

"It was just a thought. What kind of car do we want?"

"I really don't know. I've been thinking about it, but nothing comes to mind. We'll just check out the car lots, see what's there, and we'll know it when we find it."

"You know, Mom, I had a thought."

"Sorry, we can't afford a Bentley, either."

"No, not that. I bet Gypsy could find us a good one. She knows lots of people with cars."

"A used car? Do we really want to ride around in seats where other people have sat, and sweated, and done who knows what?"

"Eww, gross! So we want a new car?"

"If the price is right, sure. Why not?"

"Why not, indeed?"

 

Two hours later they were in Litchfield at the first used car lot they came to. After stopping by several new car showrooms and checking out the prices, they decided a used car wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"This is cute." Rory said, looking at a bright blue, small pickup truck.

Lorelai sneered at it. "What would we EVER want a truck for?"

"Well, now that we have a house, we might want to fix up the outside, and we'd need fertilizer and some plants and maybe some lawn furniture."

"And just who do you plan on doing all this yard work, our magical House Genie? You?"

"Well, maybe we don't really need a truck."

They looked a little longer, didn't see anything they liked, so moved on to the next one they came to.

"How about this one?" Rory suggested. "It looks just like the inn's minivan, and you said it drives good."

"Mmmm, nah. It's too soccer mom-ish. Unless you're planning on joining your school's soccer team."

"It's probably a gas guzzler, anyway."

They left that used car lot and stopped at two more without finding anything they liked. After lunch they started back to Stars Hollow but as they passed by the first one they had stopped at Lorelai saw something from the corner of her eye.

"Did you see that?" Lorelai asked, as she turned around to go back.

"See what?"

"I don’t know what it is, but I think like it."

They drove back onto the lot, parked, then walked to the last row of cars, the one they ignored when they didn't see anything they liked the first time. This row had cars that hadn't been cleaned and priced yet.

"Is this it?" Rory asked. Lorelai was walking around a beige colored Jeep Wrangler.

"I like this one," Lorelai said as she opened the driver's side door and looked in.

"You have to unzip the windows," Rory commented.

"I know. Isn't that cool?"

Lorelai sat down in the seat, looking around the interior.

"It almost smells new," she said as Rory got into the other seat. "And it's only got five thousand miles on it, right next to brand new."

Rory bounced a little on the seat, then turned around to look into the back. "It's not so bad. There's room in the back for a bag of fertilizer, or groceries."

"I wonder how much it is."

"It's not that big, so it can't cost too much."

"That's what I was thinking."

Lorelai looked around one more time, then said, "If the radio works, we're definitely getting it. I like this car."

"Me, too. But if you buy it today, how will we get it home?"

"We'll just go back to the inn and find somebody to drive us back here to pick it up."


	10. When Pigs Fly

  
**Chapter Ten**   
**When Pigs Fly**   


"You know, Mom, I was thinking that before we go back to the house, we ought go shopping."

"I thought we already talked about that -- no stinky, smelly, cow poop fertilizer."

"Actually, I was thinking about buying some groceries, you know, in case one of us got hungry in the middle of the night and we wanted to eat something. Or if Mia came to visit."

"Really? For real groceries? Like bread and milk and meat and – stuff?"

"Sure! I mean we don't have a list or anything, but since we need just about everything, we could just load up."

"Well, it won't be much of a load after the down payment on this Jeep. Who ever heard of such a thing? I thought we could just sign the papers and then just, you know – drive off."

"Who knew? Anyway, we'll just get the essentials, you know, things we need right now."

"Such as?"

"Well, like toilet paper."

"I can get that from the inn."

"Napkins."

"The inn."

"Paper towels."

"The inn."

"Okay. Now, you can't steal EVERTHING from the inn!"

"Who said I'll be stealing? We'll just use them for a while and when we're finished, I'll take them back."

"You're going to take back used napkins?"

"Hmmm, well maybe not. You really want to go buy groceries?"

"Sure. It'll be fun. Our first grocery-shopping trip for our new house."

"Okay. Doose's, here we come."

 

"Well, Grocery-shopping-daughter-of-mine, do we want a buggy or a basket?"

"I think we should get a buggy. We can get more in it and we won't have to carry things."

"Lorelai! Fancy seeing you in here."

"Hey, Taylor. Just stocking up our new house."

"I know. Patty told me you bought the house next door to Babette. Must have set you back a pretty penny."

"Yeah, well, more than one pretty penny, that's for sure."

"Well, you picked the right day to buy groceries. We have a store full of two-for-one specials, and it's double coupon day."

"We don't have any coupons, but we'll be sure to start saving them."

"Then I'll let you and Rory get on with it. And welcome to Doose's Market."

"Are you really going to start cutting out coupons?"

"Right! When pigs fly. So – what are we looking for?"

"I don't know, let’s just walk down every aisle and get whatever we see that we like."

"Nope. Nope. Nope. Oh! Mallow Bars, that's a yep."

"Pop tarts! A definite 'yep' if there ever was one. Can I get one of each kind?"

"Might as well get two. Cereal?"

"We'll have to buy some milk."

"Maybe next time. How about ice cream?"

"Mom, do you really have to ask?"

"Ice cream it is."

"Do we want ice cube trays?"

"Do we need any?"

"I don’t know. Maybe for iced tea?"

"Iced what? Who's going to make that?"

"No ice cube trays. But I do know we need light bulbs."

 

"So, is that it?" Rory asked, looking into the buggy.

"I guess so. I can't think of anything else."

"It doesn't look like very much – potato chips, microwave popcorn, pop tarts, ice cream, cookies, Red Vines, light bulbs, and coffee."

"Well, Hon, those are the essentials, what else is there? Oh, I know -- Tater tots."

"You do know you have to cook them, don't you?"

"Of course I do. If I can cook popcorn and pop tarts I can cook Tater tots – turn on the oven, dump 'em onto a pizza pan, and stick 'em in 'til they're done."

"Okay, just so you know."

"So, I'll get in line if you'll run get them."

As Rory went to get the Tater tots, Lorelai yelled after her, "Get three boxes! And you might as well get us a pizza pan, too."

 

**The End**


End file.
